Right under this balcony, a small bright white "marshmallow" was spotted on the ground in the spring of 2013. Upon investigation it was found that the "marshmallow" was actually a young Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio) that had fallen out of the nest. When no nest could be found to replace it into, the tiny white owl was taken in by the Peace River Wildlife Center. He grew up under their care and is now one of their most recognized animal ambassadors, Luna. Although Luna, unlike many other animal ambassadors, has no physical disabilities, his lack of color makes him easily spotted by predators and unlikely to survive in the wild. In fact, it is entirely possible that he was ejected from the nest because he could attract too much attention. Luna is not an albino which is a condition where the body cannot produce melanin, the substance that makes brown and black colors. He is leucistic which means he cannot make any colors at all for his body. Along with the white coloration of his feathers, his feet and beak are not the typical orange color and the irises of his eyes are colorless.
Luna can be seen at the Peace River Wildlife Center at Ponce de Leon Park here in Punta Gorda. PRWildlife.org
